Will My Florida Homeowners Insurance Cover Termite Damage?

If you own a home in Florida, you might have the unpleasant experience of learning that your most prized asset is being infested and devoured by termites. Without homeowners coverage, you can be overwhelmed with the financial hardship associated with repairing the damage and securing your home. According to a professor of entomology at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, the expenses associated with damage caused by termites and the goal of keeping termites at bay exceeds $500 million each year. While the cost of dealing with a massive termite infestation can be prohibitively expensive, your homeowners insurance might provide coverage to defray the cost of dealing with your termite problem.

It is not uncommon to have an insurance adjuster tell policyholders that their homeowners policy does not provide coverage for termite damage. While many property damage policies do exclude losses associated with termites, some homeowners and business insurance policies do cover termites depending on the type, value and nature of the damage. If this type of infestation causes severe structural damage to our home, which you do not know exists, your policy might provide coverage for the structural repair even if your policy expressly excludes termite-related loss.

If your homeowners policy does not cover termite damage, you might have recourse through a contract with a pest control company. If you have paid a pest control company to remove termites from your home or you are unsure about whether your policy covers damage caused by termites, you should consult with a proven Florida homeowners insurance attorney. Because your policy might not cover termites, you should carefully review any contract with a pest control company prior to retaining their services. The guarantees and terms of the contract might provide assurances against future infestations that make the pest control company financially responsible for the damage.

When purchasing a home, homeowners should have the property inspected for potential termite intrusions. Policyholders also need to carefully analyze all documents related to termite inspections or work. There are two categories of termites that can damage your Florida home – drywood termites and subterranean termites. The more dangerous of these types of termites are subterranean termites that often live in soil near bodies of water. A colony of these pests can devastate your home because they consume as much as thirteen ounces of wood daily.

When you are facing the devastating cost of termite damage, you should not simply accept your insurance company’s denial of coverage. Although policyholders might expect their insurance company to fulfill contractual obligations and process their claim in good faith, insurance companies financial incentives promote denials, delays and underpaid claims. Although the insurance company adjuster or representative might be amicable, an insurance company representative’s loyalty is to the insurance company. The best way to protect your interest is to speak to a proven homeowners insurance claims attorney.

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